Saturday, October 3, 2015

For those who came in late...

If you saw the recent 1st Thursday post, then you've already pieced together that this October, Kord Industries is celebrating Lee Falk's classic hero...The Phantom! The Ghost Who Walks! The Guardian of the Eastern Dark! The Man Who Cannot Die!I suppose it is possible for you to not to know who I'm speaking of...luckily, the panels below give a short, sweet, recap of the hero's origin.

Truth be told, Kord Industries was nearly The Phantom's Skull Cave from the start! When I set out to start a blog I narrowed my choices down to a few characters and topics; Blue Beetle, the Phantom, Jonah Hex, and horror comics. I've covered horror comics in the past, and recently recorded an appearance on the Secret Origins podcast to discuss Hex, but haven't really explored the Phantom angle until now.

Why now? Well, I stumbled on the Billy Zane film a few weeks back while flipping channels on the TV. I saw that movie in the theater. Enjoyed it then, and enjoyed it now. I've been a fan of the Phantom for about as long as I've been a fan of comics! I used to read the newspaper strip and comics, I've searched for the Mego-style Phantom figure from Cast-A-Way Toys like it was my white whale...heck, I watched the cartoon "Defenders of the Earth" solely because of this character. That glimpse of the Zane movie though spurred me to pull the Hermes Press "The Phantom: The Complete Gold Key Years" from my bookshelf, and start re-reading some classic adventures....and with that, and idea came to mind!

I've been collecting the Phantom's four color adventures for years from Gold Key, King, Charlton, DC, Marvel, Moonstone, Dynamite...so I thought, why not share that love with you? I settled on October, because I usually use this month to explore other topics anyway...and c'mon, Phantoms, ghosts who walk, wolves named Devil...it made sense to do it this month!

Now, if I have as much fun with this as I hope, and reader response is good, perhaps I'll start tackling 2 blogs a month...Blue Beetle AND the Phantom! Until then, check the page out next week when I take a look at Gold Key's "The Phantom" #1 from 1962!

1 comment:

I love this entry! I have been a huge Phantom fan since I was 8. I first came across the character while visiting family in India as a child. On those trips my parents would buy me comic books to read. Issues of the Phantom were some of my first along with Tin Tin and Asterix as well as locally created Amar Chitra Katha comics (http://www.amarchitrakatha.com/)

I always loved the Phantom's part Tarzan part Batman mix of jungle vigilante. And the look, no one else can make purple jumpsuits and striped underpants on the outside work. Also I love the fact that being a legacy hero is essential the Phantom's power. I love the pulp aesthetic such a conceit brings to the character.

Also dare I say the visual similarities between original Dan Garret Blue Beetle and Kit Walker Phantom don't hurt as well.

About Me

I like to think of myself as a sort of Renaissance man. I've always been somewhat artistic, but after completing college and realizing my degree wasn't what I wanted to do for a living, I settled into a desk job and decided to keep learning, enjoying life and seeing what was out there. That's led me to, among other things (in no particular order)...writer/poet, magic classes, clown classes, artist, freelance comic work, acting classes, impressions, courses on Egyptology, becoming ordained as an online minister, bartender's certification, and blogger...but the list keeps growing!